The California Grant Program (Cal Grant) allows resident students of California to receive financial aid that is not required to be paid back, according to the California Student Aid Commission, as long as the student is attending a school that meets the requirements and applies through a series of forms.

   According to an article about Cal Grant Applications, “Students will be considered for the appropriate Cal Grant award based on the responses on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or CA Dream Act Application (CADAA), a verified Cal Grant GPA or test score, the type of California colleges listed on the FAFSA/CADAA, and whether the student is a recent high school graduate” (csac.ca.gov).

   To students who are awarded, the grant is available “…for up to 4 years of full-time attendance at a participating college/university or career school.” The availability window (for receiving the grants) begins when the student pays their first tuition bill (csac.ca.gov).

   Through the FAFSA or CADAA, the program is able to establish whether the student is in financial need. Then, the student must confirm that their GPA was submitted automatically by their school. “If not, contact your high school or college’s financial aid office for assistance.” To see what awards were granted and approved, a student needs to create a WebGrants 4 Students account. Finally, at the beginning of February, students can claim their Cal Grant Award Offers and confirm personal information (csac.ca.gov).

   To address the diverse needs of all students, the Cal Grant Program has different types of grants (A, B and C) and Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) and cycles depending on their FAFSA and CADAA applications. According to the California Community Colleges, “Eligibility is based on income, assets, and other financial aid standards” (icangotocollege.com).    

   Cal Grant A can be awarded to high school students with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA or college students with a 2.4 GPA. The award amount ranges from 12,570 dollars at UCs, 5,742 dollars at CSUs or 9,220 dollars at qualifying private California colleges (csac.ca.gov).

   Additionally, Cal Grant B has requirements of a 2.0 high school GPA with the grant amounts being 1,648 dollars at a California community college and 1,648 dollars plus the Cal Grant A amount at UC, CSU, or private colleges. Cal Grant C on the other hand, has no GPA requirement. For Occupational or Technical training programs, students can be awarded 1,094 dollars for books, tools, and equipment for technical or career education programs at a California community college. If a student is not attending a California community, the award can be 3,009 dollars (csac.ca.gov).

   “There are two types of Cal Grant award cycles: Entitlement and Competitive. Students who qualify for an Entitlement Award are guaranteed to receive a Cal Grant as there is no limit to the number of Entitlement Awards. Students who do not qualify for an Entitlement Award may be considered for a Competitive Award, which is limited in number” (csac.ca.gov).

   UC High Alumni Sarah Gharagozlou said, “Receiving Cal Grants made me realize that I could strive for bigger opportunties at a four-year university instead of having to transfer from community college. I hadn’t put much thought into going straight to a university after high school, because I was worried about the finacial burden it might have on my family. Cal Grants paid my full tuition, leaving just the housing and meal plan costs. This allowed me to have more options when it came to picking schools and made it finanically feasible.”

   For more information visit mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov.